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Presenting officer Martyn Jones said: "The relationship in question was with a male student at the school – he was 16 at the time.

"He was in Facebook contact with Mrs Horton, then a teacher employed at the school.

"That led to them meeting up at the end of the school year – he came to her home and slept there.

"Mrs Horton's behaviour clearly amounted to a significant breach in the professional boundary between her and pupil A. This constitutes misconduct."

Mrs Horton, who was going through a bitter divorce, had worked at Fitzalan High School in Leckwith, Cardiff, for 10 years and was head of year-11 at the time.

A Professional Conduct Committee of the General Teaching Council of Wales heard that "a number" of pupils had messaged her on the social networking website.

The disciplinary panel were given details of her Facebook messages including her variety of personal photographs.

She arranged to meet Pupil A near his home in Cardiff and then drove him to her home 20 miles away in Newport, where she is accused of having sex with him.

She then dropped him back off at his home before going to pick up her two young children.

The teacher claimed all she took from him was "the hand of friendship" but rumours quickly spread in the school. She told the head mistress that she had "slept" with the boy and handed in her notice shortly after.

In a statement given to the disciplinary hearing in Cardiff Mrs Horton said she had committed "the ultimate sin", but maintained that they had not had sex and had simply chatted before falling asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours.

She said: "I was in an incredibly emotional state and sexual intercourse was the last thing on my mind. All I took from Pupil A was the hand of friendship.

"Because of what was going on at home, teaching was my only lifeline.

"To be told I was anything other than ugly fat useless and worthless was a safety blanket that I foolishly used.

"He was very kind and listened – I was just taking about what was going on with my ex-husband.

"He made me feel better."

Police investigated the relationship but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action.

However, the disciplinary hearing ruled Mrs Horton was found to have had an "inappropriate and sexual relationship" with the pupil.

She was given an indefinite prohibition order and told she would have to wait two years before reapplying to teach.

Panel chair Helene Mansfield said: "Mrs Horton displayed a lack of awareness of her responsibilities as a teacher and abused a position of trust."